"I've been waiting for this moment since freshman year, just
to step on the field and prove to these coaches, 'Hey, I can play.' " -- Johnathan Aiken

SEATTLE — There were times during his first three years at Rutgers
when Johnathan Aiken wondered if his opportunity would ever come.

A three-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Aiken
appeared in 21 games over his first three seasons with the Scarlet Knights. But he
wanted more.

"It's always been rough," Aiken said. "But I knew if I kept
fighting and actually learned what I had to do and knew my techniques and made
my coaches trust me, they'll put me in."

Aiken is in line to finally get this opportunity this
season. Although he lost a close battle with Delon Stephenson for the staring
free safety job, Aiken was on the field for the first snap – and nearly all of
the rest – as Rutgers deployed five and six defensive backs to combat
Washington State's potent passing attack.

Aiken rewarded the faith from the coaching staff by
producing the two biggest plays on a night full of them. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder forced a fumble
on a Washington State punt return midway through the fourth quarter that led to
the winning touchdown, and he sealed the victory by breaking up a fourth-down
pass with 53 seconds remaining.

"I've been waiting for this moment since freshman year, just
to step on the field and prove to these coaches, 'Hey, I can play with the big
boys, just give me a shot,' " Aiken said. "Just to actually go out there and
make plays to help my team win and make a big impact, it means more that I
helped them than it means to me. I’m just excited to make them smile."

The Rutgers defense, which surprisingly got off to a strong
start, crumbled for an extended stretch of Thursday night's game. Resembling the
unit that allowed the most passing yards in school history last season, the
Scarlet Knights let Washington State march up and down the field for touchdowns
of 5-of-7 drives at one point.

The last of those scores gave the Cougars a 38-34 lead with
8:13 remaining. Rutgers' offense went three-and-out on the ensuing possession,
sending the punt team, on which Aiken is a gunner, onto the field.

Before the punt, Aiken had been pumping up his defensive
teammates on the sideline, exhorting them to get a stop when they took the
field. But he didn't give them an opportunity, as he stripped returner River
Cracraft as he fielded a punt at midfield. Teammate Anthony Cioffi dove on the
loose ball to give possession back to the Scarlet Knights.

"On the previous punt, the controller actually boxed me out
so I couldn't make the tackle. So I was upset about that because I was beating
him all night," Aiken said. "This time, I went to the sideline, got corrected,
learned a new technique and then I just went down, used what coach taught me
and it was a catch-hit. It just happened to be a great play to continue our
offensive drive."

The offense took advantage of the second chance, mounting a
drive that ended with a Paul James touchdown run to give Rutgers a 41-38 lead
with 3:24 remaining. That seemed to be
plenty of time for Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday, who passed for 532
yards, the most ever by a Rutgers opponent.

The Cougars moved to their 38-yard line where they faced a
fourth-and-13. Cracraft, the slot receiver Aiken had been matched up with most
of the night, had run a succession of crossing routes to rack up eight catches
for 83 yards and a touchdown.

But he threw Aiken off by adjusting his route on the pivotal
fourth down. He appeared to catch a Halliday pass up the seam that would have
been good for a first down. Aiken had other ideas, however, and he ripped the ball out of
Cracraft's hands. The incompletion sealed Rutgers' victory.

"It just so happened that I was covering him and he broke it
straight up the middle," said Aiken, who had seven tackles. "I just had to get on my horse and run. I
actually saw him catch it and we work on pulls all the time, when they catch it
and we go right through his hands. That was just a technique I practice every
day and it just came to play in the game."

The affable Aiken has always been well-liked by his
teammates. But if he continues to make plays like he did in the opener, he'll undoubtedly keep smiles on their faces.

"Johnathan Aiken, in my opinion, is the MVP of this game,"
defensive tackle Darius Hamilton said. "Johnathan came on the scene and he
forced a huge fumble, came right in the nick of time on punt. I saw it – that kid
had the ball and J.A. dug deep and tore it out. I told him, 'Big-time players
step up in big-time games.' That's what he definitely did tonight."